Title to be determined
by lonie b
Summary: Single chapter for now. A reading the books AU. I do not own either series. Rating may change. Male!Annabeth/Remus Lupin.


**Ok, so this plot bunny has been running around my head for the past five or so years. I thought if I put it down it would leave me alone for the time being while I work on my other story. I don't know if I'll continue it. It will definitely be a long while before I do anything to it if I do actually continue working on it. Anyways, enjoy the plot bunny.**

**~lonie b**

Chapter One

"Sirius, it's going to be alright," Lily Evans tried to reassure the Black heir. "I'm sure that Remus is alright."

"How can you be so sure of that, Evans?" Sirius snapped at the redhead. "It's been over two months since school has started and we still haven't heard anything from him. Not even his father is sure of where he is or what he's doing. What if Voldemort or one of his followers got to him and killed him?"

"Padfoot, don't think like that. You know that he goes to a summer camp in America. Maybe his camp is running late this year and he just forgot to tell us anything about it," James Potter suggested to his distraught friend. "The same thing happened last year."

"That was only for a month. Not over two months, James," Black replied.

"Or maybe he found himself a bird and decided to stay with her for a while," Peter offered.

"You're joking, right?" Sirius glared at the smaller boy. "Our shy, socially awkward Moony, meeting a girl? I don't think so."

Luckily the seventh floor hallway, where the three friends had cornered Sirius after he had angrily stormed out of the common room, was empty. However, is was amazing that no one had heard the friends arguing and came to investigate, as it was after curfew.

"Come on, Sirius," James said gently. "Let's get you back to the dorms. You need to get some sleep." But Sirius just waved him off. "Sirius, you haven't slept properly since the first week of school. Remus wouldn't want you to do this to yourself."

"How could I possibly sleep when one of my best friends is missing, Potter?" Black nearly yelled.

"Pads…" James said softly, looking hurt but he saw the desperation in his friend's eyes and paused.

Before any of them could say anything more they heard footsteps coming their way. When they looked over they saw Regulus Black and Severus Snape were walking towards them. Sirius's expression darkened.

"What do you want, Regulus?" the Black heir demanded of his little brother.

"I have something that you need to know." Came the calm reply.

"I don't care about anything you have to say!" Sirius growled.

"Even if it's about your friend Lupin?"

"What the bloody hell do you know about him?" James asked, glaring at the younger Black.

"I don't believe he was talking to you, Potter," Snape snapped back at him.

"Not now, boys," Lily glared at the two of them. "Regulus, what do you know about Remus?"

"He's dead," The young boy said solemnly. "Been dead for over a decade." He explained before any of them could get too mad at him. "The boy known as Remus Lupin is not actually a Lupin."

"What the hell are you on about?" Sirius said evenly but you could see the anger boiling just beneath the surface of his cool facade.

"Remus Lupin was killed by a werewolf thirteen years ago, Sirius," Regulus answered his brother. "Father found the death records when he researched the family back in your first year when he found out who you were friends with. I found the file in his office this summer. I thought you should know."

"Then who is he?" Peter asked.

"I don't know. Father took the file from me before I could read that much." He took a step back at his older brother's furious look. "If I knew anything else I would tell you."

"Or just keep it from me for a few months."

"I didn't know how to tell you and you're not exactly the most approachable person when you're in a bad mood," Regulus looked down at the ground as Sirius started to pace the hall.

"Then who would know who he is and what he's done? Who would know him the best and is the closest to him?" Sirius wondered aloud as he paced. On his third pass by the tapestry of dancing trolls there was a grinding noise and the others gasped.

A door was slowly etching itself out of the wall.

"Okay, I'm not the only one seeing this, am I?" James asked of no one.

"No, I see it too," Lily answered him.

"Why did we not know about this?" Sirius inquired.

"I don't remember seeing it before," Peter said.

"But we know everything about Hogwarts!" James protested.

"Apparently not, Potter," Severus snipped at the messy haired teen. "Are you sure this isn't one of your pranks?"

"Positive."

"So do we go in or leave it be?" Peter questioned.

"Of course we go in, Pete," James told him and walked towards the door.

"Wait, you're really going in there?" Regulus asked, sounding panicked.

"Why not?" James shrugged and opened the door. The others reluctantly followed him through the door. "Well this is rather disappointing."

"What exactly were you expecting, Potter?" Severus sneered.

"Not this," he answered as he looked around what appeared to be a reading room. The room itself was of decent size with some sofas arranged around a coffee table in front of a fireplace that had a fire crackling away cheerily inside the grate. On the coffee table there were about a dozen books stacked neatly on top.

"What a waste of a disappearing door," Sirius added. "They couldn't at least put something cool in here?"

"Let's just leave. There's nothing here," Regulus said and turned towards the exit only to find a blank wall. "What happened to the door?" the others looked over when he said that.

"What? How? The door was just there!" Lily said sounding surprised and worried. Sirius ran over to where the door had been.

"No, it can't be gone," He stated as he examined the wall and cast various spells. The wall remained blank. It wasn't long before he started casting blasting hexes at the wall. Smoke filled the room as debris fell from the ceiling. "We can't be trapped here."

"Sirius, stop!" James shouted and tackled his friend to the ground and pinned him there. "Calm down, Padfoot. You're going to get all of us hurt." It took a while but eventually James was able to get his distressed friend to calm down by muttering reassurances to him. Lily and Peter stood by looking concerned and worried while Severus remained indifferent. Regulus looked as if he didn't know what to feel about his brother's panic attack.

"Siri…" Regulus said hesitantly as James helped Sirius to his feet.

"Don't…just…don't," Sirius told him as he made his way over to the sofas and collapsed on the one closest to him. The others slowly followed after him and sat down on the remaining sofas. The Slytherins sat on one and the other three Gryffindors on the remaining sofa.

"So what do we do now? How do we get out of here?" Peter looked at James.

"I don't know, Pete. We obviously can't get out by using magic. The only thing we can do is wait for the door to come back or wait for someone to find us." James replied, sending worried looks over at Sirius.

"But there's no telling how long that would take," Severus objected.

"Well, do you have a better idea?" he shot back at the Slytherin. Snape didn't say anything. "That's what I thought."

"What are we supposed to do until then?" Lily asked.

"We could read these books," Peter suggested and handed the top book over to the redhead. "They sound like they would be interesting."

"The Lightning Thief," Lily read out the title of the book. "What do the rest of you think?"

"How the bloody hell does someone steal lightening?" Sirius demanded, sounding agitated.

"They would have to be a pretty powerful wizard to be able to pull that off," James stated with a shake of his head. "Well, it's not like we have anything else to do, so why not?"

"This had better be good," Snape said as he crossed his arms. Regulus just shrugged.

"Looks like we'll find out. Lily-flower, would you like to start the reading?"

"Don't call me Lily-flower," She snapped at him as she opened the book to the first chapter. "Chapter one: I Accidently Vaporize my Pre-Algebra Teacher."

"What the –" Sirius sat up a little to look at Lily. "How do you accidently vaporize someone?"

"I don't think I want to know," Lily said before continuing to read.

**Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood**.

"What's wrong with being a half-blood?" Peter asked?

"There is nothing wrong with being a half-blood" Lily reassured him before continuing.

**If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now**.

James made to close the book but Lily glared at him and he leaned back in the sofa.

**Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.**

**Being a half-blood is dangerous. It's scary. Most the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways.**

**If you're a normal kid, reading this because you think it's fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened.**

**But if you recognize yourself in these pages-if you feel something stirring inside-stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it's only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they'll come for you.**

**Don't say I didn't warn you.**

"Well that sounds eerie," James muttered.

**My name is Percy Jackson**.

"No, it's Lily Evens," Peter said, receiving many rolled eyes in response.

**I'm twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school in upstate New York.**

**Am I a troubled kid?**

"Sounds like it," Sirius said tonelessly.

**Yeah you could say that.**

"Ha, he even agrees," James said happily.

**I could start at any point in my short miserable life to prove it**

"Short?" Regulus asked, raising and eyebrow.

"Miserable?" Severus added.

"What is this kid into?" James put in, looking concerned. Lily shrugged before continuing on.

**But things really started going bad last May, when our sixth-grade class took a field trip to Manhattan- twenty-eight mental-case kids and two teachers on a yellow school bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff.**

"Oh that sound like fun," Lily said interrupting herself.

"No, it sounds like torture," Sirius disagreed.

**I know-it sounds like torture**.

"See he agrees with me," Sirius said, slightly happier now with something to distract him.

**Most Yancy field trips were.**

**But Mr. Brunner, our Latin teacher, was leading this trip, so I had hopes.**

**Mr. Brunner was this middle-aged guy in a motorized wheelchair. He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which always smelled like coffee. You wouldn't think he'd be cool, but he told stories and jokes and let us play games in class. He also had this awesome collection of Roman armor and weapons, so he was the only teacher whose class didn't put me to sleep.**

"He slept in class?" Lily yelled. "Doesn't he care about his education?"

"Lily-flower, he's twelve. Besides, some classes are just dreadfully boring," James defended.

"Like what?"

"History of magic." She just glared at the messy haired boy for a moment before turning back to the book.

**I hoped the trip would be okay. At least, I hoped that for once I wouldn't get in trouble.**

**Boy, was I wrong.**

**See, bad things happen to be on field trips. Like at my fifth-grade school, when we went to the Saratoga battlefield, I had this accident with a Revolutionary War cannon. I wasn't aiming for the bus, but of course I got expelled anyway.**

"That is funny," Sirius said laughing along with James.

**And before that, at my fourth-grade school, when we took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Marine World shark pool, I sort of hit the wrong lever n the catwalk and our class took an unplanned swim.**

"This kid is a menace," Regulus said with a look of horror while James and Sirius would nearly dying with laughter.

"Yes, someone could have gotten really hurt," Lily agreed.

**And the time before that… Well, you get the idea.**

**This trip, I was determined to be good.**

**All the way … going to kill her," I mumbled**.

"Good. Show her why not to mess with your friend," Sirius said, sitting up on his sofa.

**Grover tried to calm me down. "It's okay. I like peanut butter."**

"In your hair?" Lily question, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

**He dodged … survived for two thousand, three thousand years.**

"Whoa," All the boys said.

**He gathered us … get after-school detention for a month.**

"That's awful," James interrupted horrified.

"How did he survive?" Sirius asked, looking equally horrified.

"Oh, stuff it you two," Regulus said and Lily continued reading before the boys could get into a fight.

**One time … eating his kids, right?"**

"What?" all the others shouted in disgust.

"Why would someone eat their kid?" Regulus asked, looking a little green.

"It's just an old muggle myth," Lily told them.

"Then muggles have some messed up stories," Peter said, also a bit green.

**"Yes," Mr. Brunner said, obviously not satisfied. "And he did this because…"**

**"Well…" I racked my brain to remember. "Kronos was the king god, and-"**

**"God?"**

**"Titan," I corrected myself. "And … he didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked hi dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters-"**

"Eeew," Everyone in the room said.

**"Eeew!" said one of the girls behind me.**

**"-and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans," I continued," and the gods won."**

"And that's the story?" Sirius asked slightly disappointed.

"That's a very simplified version of that story," Lily confirmed. "The whole story is a lot longer and has much more detail. But he did get the main points across."

**Some snickers from the group.**

**Behind me, Nancy Bobofit mumbled to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going to say on our job applications, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids.'"**

**"And why, Mr. Jackson," Brunner said, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"**

"Busted," the three Marauders sang happily.

"Shut up," Severus hissed at them.

**"Busted," Grover muttered.**

**"Shut up," Nancy hissed, her face a brighter red than her hair.**

**At least Nancy got packed, too. Mr. Brunner was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong. He had radar ears.**

"Sounds like Minnie and her uncanny ability to spot trouble," James said with a smile.

"You would know," Severus muttered.

**I thought … A wave roared in my ears.**

"A wave?" James asked, his look of confusion mirrored on the other's faces as well.

**I don't remember touching her, but the next thing I knew, Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain, screaming, "Percy pushed me!"**

**Mrs. Dodds materialized next to us.**

**Some of the kids were whispering: "Did you see-"**

**"-the water-"**

**"-like it grabbed her-"**

"Wait, does that mean this kid is a wizard?" Sirius asked excitedly. "Pretty impressive to manipulate water without a wand though."

"I guess that we will find out," Lily replied and continued reading.

**I didn't know … weird noise in her throat, like growling.**

"Um, that's not normal," James pointed out. "Why is she growling?"

"I don't know," Lily responded sounding slightly worried.

**Even without the noise, I would've been nervous. It's weird being alone with a teacher, especially Mrs. Dodds. Something about the way she looked at the frieze, as if she wanted to pulverize it…**

**"You've been giving us problems, honey," she said.**

**I did the safe thing. I said, "Yes, ma'am."**

**She tugged on the cuffs of her leather jacket. "Did you really think you would get away with it?"**

"Away with what?" Regulus asked, interested. Lily shrugged and continued.

**The look in her eyes was beyond mad. It was evil.**

**She's a teacher, I thought nervously. It's not like she's going to hurt me.**

**I said, "I'll-I'll try harder, ma'am."**

**Thunder shook the building.**

**"We are not fools, Percy Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said. "It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you will suffer less pain."**

The six teens all shared worried looks.

"Does anyone know what she's talking about?" James asked the others.

"Not a clue," Regulus replied and the other shook their head no.

**I didn't know what she was talking about.**

**All I could think of was that the teachers must've found the illegal stash of candy I'd been selling out of my dorm room. Or maybe they'd realized I got my essay on Tom Sawyer from the Internet without ever reading the book and now they were going to take away my grad. Or worse, they were going to make me read the book.**

**"Well?" she demanded.**

**"Ma'am, I don't…"**

**"Your time is up," she hissed.**

"That wasn't a lot of time," Sirius tried to joke but his face was pale. The others weren't much better.

"She's a teacher she won't hurt him," lily reassured, but sounding as if she didn't believe it herself.

**Then the weirdest thing happened. Her eyes began to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She wasn't human. She was a shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice me to ribbons.**

"What is she?" Peter asked looking terrified at the discripton.

"I don't know," Lily answered.

"We haven't gone over anything like that in defense class," James added.

"Continue reading. Maybe it will tell us what she is," Regulus said and Lily nodded, looking pale herself.

**Then things got even stranger.**

**Mr. Brunner, who'd been out in front of the museum a minute before, wheeled into the doorway of the gallery, holding a pen in his hand.**

**"What ho, Percy!" he shouted, and tossed the pen through the air.**

**Mrs. Dodds lunged at me.**

**With a yelp, I dodged and felt talons slash the air next to my ear. I snatched the ballpoint pen out of the air, but when it hit my hand, it wasn't a pen anymore. It was a sword-Mr. Brunner's bronze sword, which he always used on tournament day.**

Looks of surprise were sheared between the teens at the change of events before Lily continued.

**Mrs. Dodds spun toward me with a murderous look in her eyes.**

**My knees were jelly. My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped the sword.**

**She snarled, "Die, honey!"**

**And she flew straight at me Absolute terror ran through my body. I did the only thing that came naturally: I swung the sword.**

**The metal blade hit her shoulder and passed clean though her body as if she were made of water.**

**Hiss!**

**Mrs. Dodds was a sand castle in a power fan. She exploded into yellow powder, vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulfur and a dying screech and a chill of evil in the air, as if those glowing red eyes were still watching me.**

"Well, that was…" Sirius started but trailed off.

"Yeah, that was," James agreed.

**I was alone.**

**There was a ballpoint pen in my hand.**

**Mr. Brunner wasn't there. Nobody was there but me.**

**My hands were still trembling. My lunch must've been contaminated with magic mushrooms or something.**

**Had I imagined the whole thing?**

**I went back outside.**

**It had started to rain.**

**Grover was sitting by the fountain, a museum map tented over his head. Nancy Bobofit was still standing there, soaked from her swim in the fountain, grumbling to her ugly friends. When she saw me, she said, "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt."**

"Who?" the boys all asked at once.

**I said, "Who?" … feeling alright?"**

"That's the end of the chapter," Lily said as she closed the book.

"Wow. That was not what I was expecting," Sirius said. "Poor kid probably thinks he's going insane."

"I'm sure he'll get some help for this," Evans said sounding distressed. "Or maybe one of the teachers will notice his problem and get him help. The sooner the better."

"Lily, what kid is going to admit that he imagined killing a teacher, which never existed, because she was a monster?" Snape pointed out to her. "That may not be get him the right type of help he clearly needs. That is, if he's mentally unstable. If he's just a delinquent looking for attention there are better ways to do it."

"He still needs professional help, Sev. Who knows what will happen to him if he goes without it. He could really hurt himself or someone else."

"Evans, you're like an overprotective mother," Sirius told her and she glared at him sharply.

"If caring makes me an overprotective mother than I will gladly be one." She told him proudly.

"Good for you Lily-flower," James told her with a smile. "Any child will be lucky to have you for a mother."

"Thank you, James," She gave him a small smile in return.

"What if this bloke wasn't imagining what happened?" Regulus asked hesitantly.

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked his little brother, tilting his head in a rather dog like fashion.

"I mean, what if he wasn't imagining his teacher being a monster? What if someone just wanted him to think that he imagined it? Like when someone were to use magic around a muggle they would erase the memory from the muggle's mind." The younger Black explained a bit more.

"But why would they leave this kid's memory alone and not tell him anything about what was going on?" Lily asked in return.

"Maybe they thought he already knew about magic so they didn't bother. His teacher, Mr. Brunner could be an undercover Auror and is waiting until later, when their conversation is less likely to be overheard." Regulus defended his theory.

"True, that could be the case. I still feel bad for him though. To have to go through something like that at his age…" James said.

"Please, it's not even a real story." Snape rolled his eyes. "Stop worrying so much." There was silence for a few minutes before anyone said anything else.

"What will happen to us, if we can't get out of here?" Sirius asked, looking at the wall were the door had been.

"Don't think like that, Pads. We'll get out of here, okay? I will get you out of here," James told his best friend calmly. "If the door appeared once, then it will appear again. I promise, we will not be stuck here."

"Moony would probably have read about this room in one of his books. He would know how to get us out of here." The Black heir said softly and looked down at the table in front of him. The thought of Moony and magic brought something to mind. "Wasn't Moony having trouble with his magic at the end of last year?"

"What problem? He seemed to be doing as well as he usually does," Lily said, looking confused.

"He was having trouble preforming even the simplest of spells. He could barely manage to caste the spells we learned back in first year. He tried his best to hide it during class. He was really stressed out during that time," James explained for the redhead. "But, Pads…"

"What if it got worse? What if he's no longer able to use magic and that's why he's not here?"

"Sirius, a wizard cannot lose his magic. Everyone knows that," Lily pointed out carefully.

"Then why was he having trouble using his magic, Evans? If it were stress than he would be here right now."

"I don't know Black. Maybe he got cursed and that's what made his magic quit!" Lily shouted at him, losing her temper. Then she went pale when she realized what she said. "No. He can't be cursed, can he?"

"He would have told us if he were cursed though," James stated.

"Not if he didn't know he was cursed." Wormtail piped in. "It started after the Easter Holidays, right? So it could have been then that he got cursed."

"He's pretty observant," Prongs pointed out. "So he should have been able to tell when someone is pointing their wand at him. That came out wrong."

"Cursed item then?" Lily offered, sparing James from the awkward moment.

"No, he'd never accept something from someone or somewhere that he didn't know and trust." Padfoot insisted. "Unless someone," he glared over at Snape, "cursed one of his belongings without him knowing about it."

"I didn't do anything to your little pet, Black," Severus glared back at him.

"The coin," Peter said quietly.

"What coin?" Lily asked, having heard him.

"Over the holidays his mother had given him an old coin for a present. I only know about it because I saw him with it and asked about it. When his magic stared acting up I saw him trying to get rid of it a few times." Peter informed the others.

"And you never thought to mention this before now, because…" James was giving him a slight glare.

"He asked me not to mention it. When I asked him he said it was nothing so I let him be," Pete said, shrinking away from the messy haired boy. "I just thought he got into a fight with his mom."

"How do we know if it's the coin that is responsible for what happened to our Moony?" Sirius asked.

"One of the times I saw him trying to get rid of it, he threw it out into the lake. Then later he was looking through his bag for something and looked a bit surprised and irritated to find that same coin in one of his books," Peter answered. "So if the coin kept coming back to him every time he tried getting rid of it then it must be magic right?"

"Hmm, that could be it. He did say that his mother was a muggle. She wouldn't know if something were cursed or not, so she wouldn't see any harm in giving Moony an old coin. We need to find out where she got that coin if this is the case," James said, pacing in front of the hearth.

"If he wasn't able to get rid of that coin it would still be effecting him." Severus pointed out, sounding as if he could care less. "It could be possible that with the loss of his magic his health would rapidly decline due to his condition."

"What do you mean decline?" Sirius asked at the same time Regulus asked, "What condition?"

"Magic helped him to recover after an episode so without his magic his recover he wouldn't be able to recover as quickly or as fully. Having to go though it at least once a month will take its toll on him," Severus casually said, but you could still hear the contempt in his voice.

"What condition are you talking about?" Regulus demanded.

"Don't worry about it Regulus," Sirius told his brother while glaring at Snape.

"I think he should worry. Lupin should have never been allowed to come to Hogwarts." Snape sneered.

"He has as much right to learn magic as you do," James defended his absentee friend.

"He nearly killed me!" Severus shouted as he leaped up from his seat.

"That wasn't Moony's fault. He had no part in that. It was all me," Sirius growled back. "Don't you dare hold my actions against him."

"What are you all talking about?" Regulus yelled, feeling frustrated that they were ignoring his question. There was silence for a few beats.

"You're brother has a pet monster." Snape eventually told the younger boy.

"Just because he's not human once a month does not make him a monster," James put in before Snape could paint his friend in a bad light. "He would never want to inflict what he has on another."

"What is he?" Regulus asked, sounding slightly calmer then he was. Silence. "Sirius, tell me, what is he?"

"Werewolf," came the whispered reply.

"What?" Regulus took a few steps back from his brother, whishing that he hadn't heard properly.

"Moony is a werewolf." The older Black brother repeated softly, regarding the younger of the two. "But he would never intentionally put someone in danger of his curse."

"How could you possibly be friends with something like that?" Regulus demanded. "You know all the stories. He is unworthy of friends or of learning magic. He's dangerous."

"He's a person who had something unfortunate happen to him. Moony was a child when he got bit, Regulus. How could anyone possibly blame a child for something that they have no control over? How could a child be a monster?" that brought his brother up short. "He just wants to be normal, Reg."

"How could anyone be normal when they're friends with you, Siri?" Regulus replied as he didn't know what else to say. Sirius looked as if he were about to argue when his brother's words registered.

"Very funny, Reggie," Sirius gave his brother a small smile as he rolled his eyes.

"If what Severus said about his health failing without his magic, then it could also be that he is in no condition to come to school," Regulus said, getting the conversation back on topic.

"Who would take his magic from him, and why?" Lily asked.

"It could be an experiment of that Voldemort guy's? A different way to rid our world of the impure." Sirius suggested.

"Giving cursed coins to half-bloods and muggleborns so they lose the ability to use magic. Sounds devious, but how would they make sure that pure bloods don't get a hold of them?" Regulus agreed.

"Moony's coin kept returning to him no matter what he did with it short of destroying it. So could the coin also be linked to the first person with a magical core that comes in contact with it? That way it would only affect that person." Peter spoke up, getting back into the conversation.

"And then they wouldn't figure it out until it's too late," James added. "I think this might be the first time I've hated magic."

"Oh, my poor, shy Moony," Padfoot muttered as he collapsed back onto a sofa. "Why didn't you just tell us?"

"James, it's not too late. There could still be a way to reverse it, Sirius." Lily tried to reassure the two boys.

"Father could help," Regulus offered.

"Yeah, right," Sirius scoffed.

"Sirius, he still has you listed as heir of House Black, despite mother disowning you and blasting you off the family tapestry. I think he still hopes that you'll come back to the family one day," Regulus said but Sirius continued to glare at nothing without responding. "I know mother was horrible to you, but father had always treated you fair. Could you at least try to work things out between the two of you? He could help you find a way to help the monst…friend. Help your friend."

"What if he's beyond help?" Sirius asked quietly, sounding close to losing control of his emotions.

"No, Padfoot, don't think like that. This is not the end. He is not beyond help. Not yet. Do not give up on Moony, Pads. Do you hear me? Do. Not. Give. Up. On. Him. We can fix this. And if we can't, then we will give whoever did this absolute hell for it," James stated, gripping Sirius by the shoulders so the other boy could not turn away from him. "Alright?"

"You're right," Sirius answered, looking pale. "We can't give up one him."

"That's it, there's my Padfoot." Prongs gave a tight smile.

"I-I'm g-going to a-ask f-fathe-er." Sirius stuttered.

"Pads…" James said, looking worried. "Are you sure?"

"If he knows something… I… I have to know, Prongs." Regulus went over and pulled Sirius into a hug. Sirius stiffened at the contact before relaxing a little bit. It had been years since the brothers have hugged each other. "That does not mean I'm going back to that hell-hole you call home, Reggie."

"I know, but it's a start." The younger boy said softly.

"We'll figure this out and we'll get our Moony back," James declared. "Nothing will stop us until we do get him back."

"Oh, yes, Potter, nothing will stop you from getting your pet back inside your little gang. Other than the lack of windows and door in this blasted room we're stuck in."

"I think we should keep reading," Lily offered before a fight could break out between James and Severus. "There's not much else we can do while we're stuck in here and I'd rather not listen to the two of you fighting."

"You just want to know what's going to happen to that Percy kid," James said.

"Well, yes. I mean he nearly got killed by an imaginary teacher. We have to find out if he gets help or not." They all retook a seat, the Black brothers sat together, Severus by himself, and the remained three together. "So who's going to read next?" she smiled at the boys.

"I will," James offered and picked up the book. He turned to the correct page and began reading. "Chapter two: Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death"

"Cheerful title," Regulus commented.

"And not at all reassuring," Lily added.

"Are we sure we want to read this?" Snape asked.

"Yes," Lily replied and waved James on.

**I was used…had never existed.**

**Almost.**

"I bet it was Grover that kept him from believing," James said.

"No bet. It most likely was," Sirius replied.

"How do you know that?" Regulus asked them.

"Best friends can almost always tell when the other is lying," Sirius told him.

"Almost always?" the younger boy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Sometimes we get lucky. For instance, James still believes that it's Peter that keeps stealing from his candy stash," Sirius said with a grin.

"Wait that was you!" James shouted in outrage.

"Don't worry, Prongs, I shared the chocolate with Moony." James threw one of the pillows on the sofa at Sirius who was laughing. Grumbling James turned back to the book.

**But Grover couldn't … called him an old sot.**

"He did not?" Sirius said, a grin beginning to from on his face again.

"He did." James confirmed, also grinning.

"That is great! I wish this guy was real so we could meet him. He'd be a blast to hang out with," Sirius chuckled.

**I wasn't even sure what it meant, but it sounded good.**

The two black haired marauders busted up laughing.

"And he didn't even know what it meant."

"Can we continue reading?" Severus asked, glaring at the two laughing boys.

"Sure, sure," James said calming down.

**The headmaster sent … only test I studied for.**

"What?" Lily nearly screeched. "He didn't study either?"

"Lily-flower it is fine. It's just a book," James said to her, trying not to draw her anger.

"That doesn't matter! People should care more about their education," She said, seething.

"I'll just continue reading, then, shall I?" James said and continued.

**I hadn't forgotten what Mr. Brunner had told me about this subject being life-and-death for me. I wasn't sure why, but I'd started to believe him.**

**The evening before my final, I got so frustrated I threw James cringed at this part before continuing in a rush the Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology-**

"He threw the book too?" Lily yelled.

"James continue," Sirius, pleaded.

**Across my dorm room. Words had started swimming off the page, circling y head, the letters doing one-eighties as if they were riding skateboards.**

"Okay, that would make studying a bit hard to do," Lily conceded.

"What's a skateboard?" Regulus asked.

"It's a muggle toy of sorts. Kids and teens use them. They're boards, curved on the ends, on wheels. You stand on them and they roll on the ground. Some people can do tricks on them, jumps and stuff like that." Lily explained to the slightly confused boy. He nodded his understanding and James continued reading.

**There was no way I was going to remember the difference between Chiron and Charon, or Polydicts and Polydeuces. And conjugating those Latin Verbs? Forget it.**

**I paced the room, feeling like ants were crawling around inside my shirt.**

"Hey James," Sirius began before getting cut off by Lily.

"Don't even think about it Black," She said, giving him a hard glare.

**I remembered Mr. Brunner's serious expression, his thousand-year-old eyes. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson.**

**I took a deep breath. I picked up the mythology book.**

"Good," Lily said with a nod.

**I'd never asked a teacher for help before. Maybe if I talked to Mr. Brunner, he could give me some pointers. At least I could apologize for the big fat F I was about to score on his exam. I didn't want to leave Yancy Academy with him thinking I hadn't tried.**

"Aww, he's so sweet," Lily muttered. "I hope that if I ever have a son that he will be just the same. Hopefully without the hallucinations… and better study habits."

"With you as the mother I'm sure he will be," James assured her with a smile. She smiled back.

**I walked downstairs to the faculty offices. Most of them were dark and empty, but Mr. Brunner's door was ajar, light from his window stretching across the hallway floor.**

**I was three steps from the door handle when I heard voices inside the office. Mr. Brunner asked a question. A voice that was definitely Grover's said "…worried about Percy, sir."**

"Oh, no," Sirius muttered.

"What? This is a good thing. Percy will get the help he needs to." Lily countered.

"And he'll also feel betrayed and will overreact at something he hears. That always happens when someone eavesdrops," Sirius defended himself.

"Does not," Lily said. "James just continue."

**I froze.**

**I'm not usually an eavesdropper, but I dare you to try not listening if you hear your best friend talking about you to an adult.**

"Couldn't do it," Sirius said.

"Me neither," James said as well.

"No, I never would have guessed that," Severus rolled his eyes at them. With a glare from Lily, James continued reading.

**I inched closer.**

**"…alone this summer," Grover was saying. "I mean, a Kindly One in the school!**

All the teens shared a look at that.

"Could that be referring to Mrs. Dodds?" Peter asked them timidly.

"I haven't a clue," Lily shook her head.

**Now that we know for sure, and they know too-"**

**"We would only make matters worse by rushing him," Mr. Brunner said. "We need the boy to mature more."**

**"But he may not have time. The summer solstice deadline-"**

**"Will have to be resolved without him, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can."**

**"Sir, he saw her…"**

**"His imagination," Mr. Brunner insisted. "The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him of that."**

"The mist?" Regulus asked, intrigued and confused. "Is that like a memory spell?"

"I've never heard of it if it is," Lily answered. "But I think Peter's question just got answered. They know what happened and what Percy saw."

"And they're trying to cover it up," Severus said. "But, why?"

"And what was that talk about the summer solstice? What does it have to do with Percy?" Sirius inquired. They all looked to James.

"Well how am I supposed to know?" James said when he noticed the stares. "I don't know what happened."

"True, but you are the one holding the book," Lily pointed out.

"Oh, right."

**"Sir, I … I can't fail in my duties again." Grover's voice was choked with emotion. "You know what that would mean."**

**"You haven't failed, Grover," Mr. Brunner said kindly. "I should have seen her for what she was. Now let's just worry about keeping Percy alive until next fall-"**

**The mythology book dropped out of my hand and hit the floor with a thud.**

"Get out of there!" James and Sirius both said.

"Why? If he stays he could get some real answers," Lily said. "They can explain to him what's going on."

"Or he could get in a lot of trouble for overhearing a conversation that he shouldn't have had any idea about," Severus pointed out. "Better to wait and try to get answers out of Grover later."

"Wow, did Severus just agree with us?" James asked Sirius.

"No, I think we just heard wrong. That would never happen." Sirius said, shaking his head in denial.

"Idiots," Severus muttered.

**Mr. Brunner went silent.**

**My heart hammering, I picked up the book and backed down the hall.**

**A shadow sild across the lighted glass of Brunner's office door, the shadow of something much taller than my wheelchair-bound teacher, holding something that looked suspiciously like an archer's bow.**

"What?" was heard around the room.

**I opened the nearest door and slipped inside.**

**A few seconds later I heard a slow clop-clop-clop, like muffled wood blocks, then a sound like an animal snuffling right outside my door. A large, dark shape paused in front of the glass, then moved on.**

**A bead of sweat trickled down my neck.**

**Somewhere in the hallway, Mr. Brunner spoke. "Nothing," he murmured. "My nerves haven't been right since the winter solstice."**

**"Mine neither," Grover said. "But I could have sworn…"**

**Go back to the dorm," Mr. Brunner told him. "You've got a long day of exams tomorrow."**

**"Don't remind me."**

"Okay, I am just plain confused," Sirius said. "When are they going to explain all of this?"

"Hopefully before the end of the chapter," James mutter before reading on.

**The lights went out … only a matter of time."**

"Oh, poor dear, that would hurt to hear. And Mr. Brunner should have had this conversation in private, not in front of the whole class. That will just make it worse," Lily said, sympathetically.

**My eyes stung … Looking for Kindly Ones?"**

"Well that's one way to start a conversion," Regulus said. "And straight to the point as well."

"And giving his best friend a heart attack in the process," Severus added with an eye roll.

**Grover nearly jumped out of his seat. "Wh-what do you mean?"**

**I confessed about eavesdropping on him and Mr. Brunner the night before the exam.**

**Grover's eye twitched. "How much did you hear?"**

**"Oh…not much. What's the summer solstice dead-line?"**

"Oh, yeah, I didn't hear much. Only the whole bloody conversion." Sirius said with a bit (lot) of sarcasm.

**He winced. "Look, Percy…I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about a demon math teacher…"**

**"Grover-"**

**"And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you were overstressed or something, because there was no such person as Mrs. Dodds, and…"**

**"Grover, you're a really, really bad liar."**

**His ears turned pink.**

**From his shirt pocket, he fished out a grubby business card. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer."**

**The card was in fancy script, which was murder on my dyslexic eyes, but I finally made out something like: Grover Underwood**

**Keeper**

**Half-Blood Hill**

**Long Island, New York**

**(800) 009-0009**

"What do those numbers means?" James asked looking up at Lily.

"It's a phone number."

"A what number?" Regulus asked looking confused, as did the others.

"Oh, is that the thing muggles use to speak to each other over long distances?" Sirius asked, excitedly.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"Muggle studies," Sirius shrugged. "Took it to drive mother crazy."

"Yes, a phone is used to talk to people a long distance away, kind of like making a floo call but without sticking your head in a fireplace. Phone numbers are to distinguish which phone you want to call, like the floo addresses."

"Oh, that makes sense," Regulus said and James nodded along. Both were glad that there was a muggleborn in the room to help explain things that didn't make sense to them.

**"What's Half-"**

**"Don't say it aloud!" he yelped. "That's my, um…summer address."**

**My heart sank. Grover had a summer home. I'd never considered that his family might be as rich as the others at Yancy.**

**"Okay," I said glumly. "So, like, if I wanted to come visit your mansion."**

**He nodded. "Or…or if you need me."**

**"Why would I need you?"**

The teens all winced.

"That was a bit harsh," Sirius said.

**It came out harsher than I meant it to.**

**Grover blushed right down to his Adam's apple. "Look, Percy, the truth is, I-I kind of have to protect you."**

**I stared at him.**

**All year long, I'd gotten in fights, keeping bullies away from him. I'd lost sleep worrying that he'd get beaten up next year without me. And here he was acting like he was the one who defended me.**

**"Grover," I said, "what exactly are you protecting me from?"**

"That's what we all want to know," Severus muttered.

**There was a huge … full.**

"Oh, that sounds wonder full," Lily said with a smile.

**There were no customers, just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks I'd ever seen.**

**I mean these socks were the size of sweaters, but they were clearly socks. The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn.**

**All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses.**

**The weirdest thing was, they seemed to be looking right at me.**

"Okay, that is just oozing of creepy vibes," Sirius said.

"Yeah, who would want some random people just staring at them?" Peter agreed.

**I looked over at Grover to say something about thing and saw that the blood had drained from his face. His nose was twitching.**

**"Grover?" I said. "Hey, man-"**

**"Tell me they're not looking at you. They are, aren't they?"**

**"Yeah. Weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?"**

**"Not funny, Percy. Not funny at all."**

**The old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors-gold and silver, long-bladed, like shears. I heard Grover catch his breath.**

**"We're getting on the bus," he told me. "Come on."**

**"What?" I said. "It's a thousand degrees in there."**

**"Come on!" he pried open the door and climbed inside, but I stayed back.**

**Across the road, the old ladies were still watching me. The middle one cut the yarn, and I swear I could hear that snip across four lanes of traffic.**

"Why does that sound familiar," Lily muttered.

"What does?" Severus asked.

"The snipping of yarn by old ladies," Lily answered. "I think I've read about something like that before, but I can't remember where."

**Her two friends balled up the electric-blue socks, leaving me wondering who they could possibly be for-Sasquatch or Godzilla.**

**At the rear of the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment. The bus shuddered, and the engine roared back to life.**

**The passengers cheered.**

**"Darn right!" yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat. "Everyone back on board!"**

"Well that's convenient," Sirius said.

**Once we got going, I started feeling feverish, as if I'd caught the flu.**

"That's strange," Regulus tilted his head. "Normally, no one gets sick that fast."

**Grover didn't look much better. He was shivering and his teeth were chattering.**

**"Grover?"**

**"Yeah?"**

**"What are you not telling me?"**

**He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. "Percy, what did you see back at the fruit stand?"**

**"You mean the old ladies? What is it about them, man? They're not like…Mrs. Dodds, are they?"**

"Merlin I hope not," Lily said. "One monster was bad enough."

**His expression was hard to read, but I got feeling that the fruit-stand ladies were something much, much worse than Mrs. Dodds.**

"Worse?" the teens exclaimed.

**He said, "Just tell me what you saw."**

**"The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn." He closed his eyes and made a gesture with fingers that might've been crossing himself-**

"What does it mean by 'crossing himself'?" Regulus asked.

"It's a gesture that Christians do, like drawing an imaginary cross on their chest. They believe that it protects them from evil." Lily explained.

**But it wasn't. It was something else, something almost-older.**

**He said, "You saw her snip the cord."**

**"Yeah. So?" But even as I said it, I knew it was a big deal.**

**"This is not happening," Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like the last time."**

"The last time?" Severus and Sirius said simultaneously. They glared at each other.

**"What last time?"**

**"Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth."**

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that," Lily said.

**"Grover," I said, because he was really starting to scare me. "What are you talking about?"**

**"Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me."**

**This seemed like a strange request to me, but I promised he could.**

**"Is this like a superstition or something?" I asked.**

**No answer.**

"Because that's reassuring," Sirius said.

**"Grover-that snipping of the yarn. Does that mean somebody is going to die?"**

They all turned a bit pale at that.

**He looked at me mournfully, like he was already picking the kind of flowers I'd like best on my coffin.**

James closed the book. "That's the end of that chapter."

"Give me that," Sirius said, jumping to his feet to take the book from his friend.

"Wait, you can read, Black?" Severus sneered.

"Of course I can, Snape," he answered and open the book as he took his seat. "Chapter 3: Grover Unexpectedly Loses His Pants."

"No comment," Lily said.

**Confession time … Not dead. Lost at sea.**

"Aw, that's so sad," Lily said, tearing up slightly.

**She worked odd … got any cash?"**

"What?" Lily and James yelled.

"Why is he asking a child for money?" Lily demanded, looking furious.

"That pig!" James steamed. "That's no way to treat a child." The others just looked at the irate couple, not wanting to draw their anger if they said anything, as they muttered angrily about the man. Sirius give them a moment before continuing.

**That was it…punch my lights out.**

Silence. No one wanted to believe what they had just heard. Anger could be seen on all their faces.

"He threaten him as well?" Lily said, deadly calm. "Would it be wrong to send Voldemort and his death eaters after that…_thing_?" she said thing as if it was the worst thing she could think to call him.

"If he were a real person and not a fictional character I would say go for it," Severus said, expression unreadable.

"Sirius, read!" the redhead snapped, muttering to herself and Sirius turned back to the book.

**"I don't have…horrible talons.**

They all shivered at the reminder of the first chapter.

**Then I heard my mom's voice. "Percy?"**

**She opened the bedroom door, and my fears melted.**

"The way it should be," Lily said with a smile, momentarily forgetting her earlier anger.

**My mother can …glad to see her**.

"She sounds like a wonderful mother," Lily smiled warmly.

**From the other room, Gabe yelled, "Hey, Sally-how about some bean dip, huh?"**

The good mood instantly died. Replaced with anger once more.

**I gritted my … sour cream. The works."**

"Did she just bribe him with food?" James asked.

"Yes," Sirius confirmed.

"A mother should not have to use bribery to spend time with her child," Lily gritted her teeth.

**Gabe softened … soprano for a week.**

"Do it!" nearly all the boys shouted.

**But my mom's … one little scratch."**

"He's twelve! He won't be the one driving!" Lily interjected angrily.

**Like I'd be the … shot from a cannon**.

"Did he just do magic?" Peter asked the others.

"I think so, but it's hard to be sure. It could have just been something with the hinges or something," Lily replied and Sirius kept reading.

**Maybe it was … brought from work.**

"Um, what's with all the blue food?" Peter spoke up again. Sirius smiled and read.

**I guess I should explain the blue food.**

Peter blushed and the others chuckled, but they were all wondering about the blue food too.

**See, Gabe had … tired of hearing them.**

The others sat forward wanting to learn more about the boy's father.

**"He was kind, Percy," she said. "Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle, too. You have his black hair, you know, and his green eyes."**

**She fished a blue jelly bean out of her candy bag. "I was he could see you, Percy. He would be so proud."**

**I wonder how she could say that. What was so great about me? A dyslexic, hyperactive boy with a D+ report card, kicked out of school for the sixth time in six years.**

**"How old was I?" I asked. "I mean…when he left?"**

**She watch the flames. "He was only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach. This cabin."**

**"But… he knew me as a baby."**

**"No, honey. He knew I was expecting a baby, but he never saw you. He had to leave before you were born."**

**I tried to square that with the fact that I seemed to remember…something about my father. A warm glow. A smile.**

**I had always assumed he knew me as a baby. My mom had never said it outright, but still, I'd felt it must be true. Now, to be told that he'd never even seen me…**

**I felt angry at my father. Maybe it was, but I resented him for going on that ocean voyage, for not having the guts to marry my mom. He'd left us, and now we were stuck with Smelly Gabe.**

"Oh, poor dear, he shouldn't have to feel that way," Lily said sadly.

**"Are you going to send me away again?" I asked her. "To another boarding school?"**

**She pulled a marshmallow from the fire.**

**"I don't know, honey." Her voice was heavy. "I think…I think we'll have to do something."**

**"Because you don't want me around?"**

"How could he say such a thing to his mother?" Lily gasped, horrified.

"He probably didn't mean it like that Lily-flower," James was quick to reassure. "He is probably just upset." She nodded after a moment and Sirius continued reading.

**I regretted the words as soon as they were out.**

"Good," Lily muttered.

**My mom's eyes welled with tears. She took my hand, squeezed it tight. "Oh, Percy, no. I-I have to, honey. For your own good. I have to send you away."**

**Her words reminded me of what Mr. Brunner had said-that it was best for me to leave Yancy.**

**"Because I'm not normal," I said.**

**"You say that as if it's a bad thing, Percy. But you don't realize how important you are. I thought Yancy Academy would be far enough away. I thought you'd finally be safe."**

"Safe from what?" Regulus asked. Sirius shook his head with a smile and continued reading.

**"Safe from what?"**

The others chuckled when Regulus blushed at saying the same thing as Percy.

**She met my eyes, and a flood of memories came back to me-all the weird, scary things that had ever happened to me, some of which I'd tried to forget.**

**During third grade, a man in a black trench coat had stalked me on the playground. When the teachers threatened to call the police, he went away growling, but no one believed me when I told them that under his broad-brimmed hat, the man only had on eye, right in the middle of his head.**

"What?" James asked. "Is that another hallucination of a monster?"

"It sound like a cyclopes," Lily said, thinking hard.

"A what?" the wizards asked in unison.

"It's from Greek mythology. Giant men with only one eye." She answered. "I wonder if the other things were from Greek myths too." She trailed off and after a moment Sirius started reading again.

**Before that-a really early memory. I was in preschool, and a teacher accidentally put me down for a nap in a cot that a snake had slithered into.**

"What?" the shout echoed around the room. "How could they not notice a snake?" Lily was livid. "If that snake had been poisonous Percy could have died!"

**My mom screamed when she came to pick me up and found me playing with a limp, scaly rope I'd somehow managed to strangle to death with my meaty toddler hands.**

Eyebrows were raised at that.

"He killed a snake when he was a toddler?" Severus asked.

**In every single school, something creepy had happened, something unsafe, and I was forced to move.**

**I knew I should tell my mom about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds at the art museum, about my weird hallucination that I had sliced my math teacher into dust with a sword. But I couldn't make myself tell her. I had a strange feeling the news would end our trip to Montauk, and I didn't want that.**

**"I've tried to keep you as close to me as I could," my mom said. "They told me that was a mistake. But there's only one other option, Percy-the place your father wanted to send you. And I just… I just can't stand to do it."**

**"My father wanted me to go to a special school?"**

**"Not a school," she said softly. "A summer camp."**

"A camp?" James asked intrigued. "Like the camp Moony goes to?"

**My head was spinning. Why would my dad-who hadn't even stayed around long enough to see me born- talk to my mom about a summer camp? And if it was so important, why hadn't she ever mentioned it before?**

**"I'm sorry, Percy," she said, seeing the look in my eyes. "But I can't talk about it. I-I couldn't send you to that place. It might mean saying good-bey to you for good**."

"For good?" Lily asked. "But if it's only a summer camp…"

**"For good? But if it's only a summer camp…"**

**She turned toward the fire, and I knew from her expression that if I asked any more questions she would start to cry.**

**That night I had a vivid dream.**

**It was storming on the beach, and two beautiful animals, a white horse and a golden eagle, were trying to kill each other at the edge of the surf. The eagle swooped down and slashed the horse's muzzle with its huge talons. The horse reared up and kicked at the eagle's wings. As they fought, the ground rumbled, and a monstrous voice chuckled somewhere beneath the earth, goading the animals to fight harder.**

**I ran toward them, knowing I had to stop them from killing each other, but I was running in slow motion. I knew I would be too late. I saw the eagle dive down, its beak aimed at the horse's wide eyes, and I scream, No!**

**I woke with a start.**

"That would be a frightening dream for a young boy," Lily said sadly.

**Outside, it really was storming, the kind of storm that cracks trees and blows down houses. There was no horse or eagle on the beach, just lightning making false daylight, and twenty-foot waves pounding the dunes like artillery.**

**With the next thunderclap, my mom woke. She sat up, eyes wide, and said, "Hurricane."**

Everyone's eyes widened at that.

"Oh, no," Lily said. "I hope they don't get hurt."

**I knew that was crazy. Long Island never sees hurricanes this early in the summer. But the ocean seemed to have forgotten. Over the roar of the wind, I heard a distant bellow, an angry, tortured sound that made my hair stand on end.**

All the teens tensed. That didn't sound good at all.

**Then a much closer noise, like mallets in the sand. A desperate voice-someone yelling, pounding on our cabin door.**

**My mother sprang out of bed in her nightgown and threw open the lock.**

**Grover stood framed in the doorway against a backdrop of pouring rain. But he wasn't… he wasn't exactly Grover.**

"Then what is he? An evil twin?" James asked, trying to defuse some of the tension in the room. It didn't work.

**"Searching all night," he gasped. "What were you thinking?"**

**My mother looked at me in terror-not scared of Grover, but of why he'd come.**

**"Percy," she said, shouting to be heard over the rain. "What happened at school? What didn't you tell me?"**

**I was frozen, looking at Grover. I couldn't understand what I was seeing.**

**"O Zeu kai alloi theoi!" he yelled.**

"What?" all the teens looked confused.

"I think he was speaking in a different language," Sirius said before continuing,

**"It's right behind me! Didn't you tell her?"**

**I was too shocked to register that he'd just cursed in Ancient Greek, and I'd understood him perfectly. I was too shocked to wonder how Grover had gotten here by himself in the middle of the night. Because Grover didn't have his pants on- and where his legs should be … where his legs should be…**

**My mom looked at me sternly and talked in a tone she'd never used before: "Percy. Tell me now!"**

**I stammered something about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds, and my mom stared at me, her face deathly pale in the flashes of lightning.**

**She grabbed her purse, tossed me my rain jacket, and said, "Get to the car. Both of you. Go!"**

**Grover ran for the Camaro-but he wasn't running, exactly. He was trotting, shaking his shaggy hindquarters, and suddenly his story about a muscular disorder made sense to me. I understood how he could run so fast and still limp when he walked.**

**Because where his feet should be. There were no feet. There were cloven hooves.**

"What?" the others demanded as Sirius looked up from the book, looking white faced at what he read.

"How is that possible?" Severus demanded.

"Who cares about that? What happens next?" James said.

"That was the end of the chapter," Sirius said tightly. "I don't know if I want to read the next chapter."

"Why? What is it?" Lily asked, worriedly.

"My mother teaches me bullfighting," He answered briefly. The others became more worried at that.

"Do you think they're attacked by something else?" Regulus asked. "Another monster?"

"I sincerely hope not," Lily said. "That would be horrible."

"Do we want to continue?" James asked the others.

"The door is still not back," Severus stated. "Might as well." The others nodded slowly and Regulus took the book from his brother. "Chapter 4: My Mother Teaches Me Bullfighting."

**We tore through the night along dark country roads. Wind slammed against the Camaro. Rain lashed the windshield. I didn't know how my mom could see anything, but she kept her foot on the gas.**

**Every time there was a flash of lightning, I looked at Grover sitting next to me in the backseat and I wondered if I'd gone insane, or if he was wearing some kind of shag-carpet pants. But, no, the smell was one I remembered from kindergarten field trips to the petting zoo- lanolin, like from wool. The smell of wet barnyard animal.**

Lily wrinkled her nose at that.

**All I could think to say was, "So, you and my mom… know each other?"**

"That sounds wrong," Sirius joked weakly.

**Grover's eyes flitted to the rearview mirror, though there were no cars behind us. "Not exactly," he said. "I mean, we've never met in person. But she knew I was watching you."**

**"Watching me?"**

"Makes him sound like a stalker," Lily said.

**"Keeping tabs on you. Making sure you were okay. But I wasn't faking being your friend," he added hastily. "I am your friend."**

**"Urn…what are you, exactly?"**

"That's what we want to know," James said.

**"That doesn't matter right now."**

**"It doesn't matter? From the waist down, my best friend is a donkey-"**

**Grover let out a sharp, throaty "Blaa-ha-ha!"**

"Um, what?" Sirius looked at his brother in confusion.

Regulus huffed, "I'm not doing that again."

**I'd heard him make that sound before, but I'd always assumed it was a nervous laugh. Now I realized it was more of an irritated bleat.**

**"Goat!" he cried.**

**"What?"**

**"I'm a goat from the waist down."**

**"You just said it didn't matter."**

**"Blaa-ha-ha!**

Sirius tried not to laugh at his brothers failed goat sound. Regulus ignored him.

**There are satyrs who would trample you underhoof for such an insult!"**

"What's a satry?" Peter asked the others. The other boys shrugged but Lily looked lost in thought.

**"Woah. Wait. Satrys. You mean like … Mr. Brunner's myths?"**

**"Were those old ladies at the fruit stand a myth, Percy? Was Mrs. Dodds a myth?"**

"So he did know what was going on at the museum!" James exclaimed.

**"So you admit there was a Mrs. Dodds!"**

**"Of course."**

**"Then why-"**

**"The less you knew, the fewer monsters you'd attract," Grover said, like that should be perfectly obvious. "WE put Mist over the humans' eyes. He hoped you'd think the Kindly one was a hallucination. But it was no good. You started to realize who you are."**

**"Who I- wait a minute, what do you mean?"**

**The weird bellowing noise rose up again somewhere behind us, closer than before. Whatever was chasing us was still on our trail.**

The teens all sucked in a breath.

**"Percy," my mom said, "there's too much to explain and not enough time. We have to get you to safety."**

**"Safe from what? Who's after me?"**

**"Oh, nobody much," Grover said, obviously still miffed about the donkey comment. "Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood-thirstiest minions."**

The teens stared at each other, unsure of what to make of that comment.

"Wh-what does he mean 'Lord of the Dead'?" Peter asked quietly. The others didn't say anything and Regulus kept reading.

**"Grover!"**

**"Sorry, Mrs. Jackson. Could you drive faster please?"**

**I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening, but I couldn't do it. I knew this wasn't a dream. I had no imagination. I could never dream up something this weird.**

**My mom made a hard left. We swerved onto a narrow road, racing past darkened farmhouses and wooded hills and PICK YOUR OWN STRWBERRIES sings on white picket fences.**

**"Where are we going?" I asked.**

"Now he asks?" Severus muttered.

**"The summer camp I told you about." My mother's voice was tight; she was trying for my sake not to be scared. "The place your father wanted to send you."**

**"The place you didn't want me to go."**

**"Please, dear," my mother begged. "This is hard enough. Try to understand. You're in danger."**

**"Because some old ladies cut yarn."**

**"Those weren't old ladies," Grover said. "Those were the Fates.**

Lily drew in a sharp, terrified gasp and covered her mouth. Horror written across her face. "Oh, no."

"What is it? Who are the Fates?" James asked the terrified girl.

"The Three Fates are the ones that dictate your… well, fate. One spins the thread of life. One measures it. And the last… the last one cuts it," Lily explained slowly, as is not wanting to say it.

"Cut?" Regulus asked.

"It means," she swallowed thickly, "they cut the thread of life. It means…you die." The others started at her in horror. "And, Percy, he saw them cut a thread." There was silence in the room. After a few minutes, Regulus reluctantly started reading again.

Do you know what it means- the fact they appeared in front of you? They only do that when you're about to … when someone's about to die."

Regulus paused for a moment after his voice weavered on the word 'die'.

**"Woah. You said 'you'."**

**"No I didn't. I said 'someone'."**

**"You meant 'you'. As in me."**

**"I meant you, like 'someone'. Not you, you."**

"What?" James and Sirius asked looking confused.

"I didn't get it either," Regulus told them.

**"Boys!" my mom said.**

**She pulled the wheel hard right, and I got a glimpse of a figure she'd swerved to avoid-a dark fluttering shape now lost behind us in the storm.**

**"What was that?" I asked.**

**"We're almost there," my mother said, ignoring my question. "Another mile. Please. Please. Please."**

**I didn't know where there was, but I found myself leaning forward in the car, anticipating, wanting us to arrive.**

**Outside, nothing but rain and darkness-the kind of empty countryside you get way out on the tip of Long Island. I thought about Mrs. Dodds and the moment when she'd changed into the thig with pointed teeth and leathery wings. My limbs went numb from delayed shock. She really hadn't been human. She'd meant to kill me.**

"You think?" Severus said, raising an eyebrow.

"Sev, it was pretty sudden when it happened and then he thought that it wasn't real. It would be a lot to process after being told that it was real."

**Then I thought about Mr. Brunner…and the sword he had thrown me. Before I could ask Grover about that, the hair rose on the back of my neck. There was a blinding flash, a jaw-rattling boom!, and our car exploded.**

"What?" the boys all shout.

"Oh, no," Lily said, horrified. After a moment Regulus continued in a quivering voice.

**I remembered feeling weightless, like I was being crushed, fried, and hosed down all at the same time.**

**I peeled my forehead off the back of the driver's seat and said, "Ow."**

Everyone breathed in relief. They were alive. Or at least Percy was.

**"Percy!" my mom shouted.**

**"I'm okay…"**

**I tried to shake off the daze. I wasn't dead. The car hadn't really exploded. We'd swerved into a ditch. Our driver's-side doors were wedged in the mud. The roof had creaked open like an eggshell and rain was pouring in.**

**Lightning. That was the only explanation. We'd been blasted right off the road. Next to me in the backseat was a big motionless lump. "Grover!"**

**He was slumped over, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. I shook his furry hip, thinking, No! Even if you are half barnyard animal, you're my best friends and I don't want you to die!**

"Aww, he's just so sweet," Lily said.

**Then he groaned "Food," and I knew there was hope.**

**"Percy," my mom said, "we have to…" her voice faltered.**

**I looked back. In a flash of lightning, through the mud-spattered rear windshield, I saw a figure lumbering toward us on the shoulder of the road. The sight of it made my skin crawl. It was a dark silhouette of a huge guy, like a football player. He seemed to be holding a blanket over his head. His top half was bulky and fuzzy. His upraised hands made it look like he had horns.**

"Do you think he'll help them?" Lily asked the others.

"I hope so," James said and he took a hold of her hand to reassure her.

**"Who is-"**

**"Percy," my mother said, deadly serious. "Get out of the car."**

**My mother threw herself against the driver's side door. It was jammed shut in the mud. I tired mine. Stuck too. I looked up desperately at the hole in the roof. It might've been an exit, but the edges were sizzling and smoking.**

"So not an exit," Sirius said. All of the teens were growing tenser as the chapter went on.

**"Climb out the passenger's side!" my mother told me. "Percy-you have to run. Do you see that big tree?"**

**"What?"**

**Another flash of lightning, and through the smoking hole in the roof I saw the tree she meant: a huge, White House Christmas tree-size pine at the crest of the nearest hill.**

**"That's the property line," my mom said. "Get over that hill and you'll see a big farmhouse down in the valley. Run and don't look back. Yell for help. Don't stop until you reach the door."**

**"Mom, you're coming too."**

**Her face was pale, her eyes as sad as when she looked at the ocean.**

"She's not going with him," Lily said quietly. The others looked sad too.

**"No!" I shouted. "You are coming with me. Help me carry Grover."**

**"Food!" Grover moaned, a little louder.**

**The man with the blanket on his head kept coming toward us, making his grunting, snorting noises.**

**As he got closer, I realized he couldn't be holding a blanket over his head, because his hands-huge meaty hands-were swinging at his sides.**

"What?" the teens gasped.

**There was no blanket. Meaning the bulky, fuzzy mass that was too big to be his head…was his head. And the points that looked like horns…**

Everyone paled at the implication. It was a monster.

**"He doesn't want us," my mother told me. "He wants you. Besides, I can't cross the property line."**

**"But…"**

**"We don't have time, Percy. Go. Please."**

**I got mad, then-mad at my mom, at Grover the goat, at the thing with horns that was lumbering toward us slowly and deliberately like, like a bull.**

"He's not going to leave her," Sirius said.

**I climb across Grover and pushed the door open into the rain. "We're going together. Come on, Mom."**

**"I told you-"**

**"Mom! I am not leaving you. Help me with Grover."**

**I didn't wait for her answer. I scrambled outside, dragging Grover from the car. He was surprisingly light, but I couldn't have carried him very far if my mom hadn't come to my aid.**

**Together, we draped Grover's arms over our shoulders and started stumbling uphill through wet waist high grass.**

**Glancing back, I got my first clear look at the monster. He was seven feet tall, easy, his arms and legs like something from the cover of Muscle Man magazine-bulging biceps and triceps and a bunch of others 'ceps, all stuffed like baseballs under vein-webbed skin. He wore no clothes except underwear-I mean bright white Fruit of the looms-which would've looked funny, except that the top half of his body was so scary. Coarse brown hair started at about his belly button and got thicker as it reached his shoulders.**

**His neck was a mass of muscle and fur leading up to his enormous head, which had a snout as long as my arm, snotty nostrils with a gleaming brass ring, cruel black eyes, and horns-enormous black and white horns with points you just couldn't get from an electric sharpener.**

The teens all shared looks of horror at the monster's description.

"What the bloody hell is that thing?" Sirius demanded.

"I think I like the sound of this one less then Mrs. Dodds," Lily said, look green.

"I hope they are able to get away from it safely." James said, being more worried than Lily for once. Regulus continued read, his hands trembling as he held the book.

**I recognized the monster, all right. He had been in one of the first stories Mr. Brunner told us. But he couldn't be real.**

**I blinked the rain out of my eyes. "That's-"**

**"Pasiphae's son," my mother said. "I wish I'd known how badly they want to kill you."**

**"But he's the Min-"**

**"Don't say his name," she warned. "Names have power."**

The Gryffindors scoffed.

"That's kind of like people not saying Voldemort's name," James said.

"Not quite," Regulus replied. "Most people are just afraid to say the name. Mrs. Jackson said that 'names have power'. Like it's more than just being afraid to say it." The others thought about it for a moment before the reading continued.

**The pine tree was still way too far-a hundred years uphill at least.**

**I glanced behind me again.**

**The bull-man hunched over our car, looking in the windows-or not looking, exactly. More like snuffling, nuzzling. I wasn't sure why he bothered, since we were only about fifty feet away.**

**"Food?" Grover moaned.**

**"Shhh," I told him. "Mom, what's he doing? Doesn't he see us?"**

**"His sight and hearing are terrible," she said. "He goes by smell. But he'll figure out where we are soon enough."**

**As if on que, the bull-man bellowed in rage. He picked up Gabe's Camaro by the torn roof, the chassis creaking and groaning. He raised the car over his head and threw it down the road. It slammed into the wet asphalt and skidded in a shower of sparks for about half a mile before coming to a stop.**

Everyone paled.

"His mother would have still been in that car if Percy hadn't of made her go with him," Lily said thickly.

**The gas tank exploded.**

**Not a scratch, I remembered Gabe saying.**

**Oops.**

Everyone chuckled weakly at that.

**"Percy," my mom said. "When he sees us, he'll charge. Wait until the last second, then jump out of the way-directly sideways. He can't change directions very well once he's charging. Do you understand?"**

**"How do you know all this?"**

**"I've been worried about an attack for a long time. I should have expected this. I was selfish, keeping you near me."**

"No you weren't," Lily said. "You were being his mother."

**"Keeping me near you? But-"**

**Another bellow of rage, and the bull-man started tromping uphill.**

**He'd smelled us.**

Everyone tensed even more, sitting on the edge of their seats.

**The pine tree was only a few more yards, but the hill was getting steeper and slicker, and Grover wasn't getting any lighter.**

**The bull-man closed in. another few seconds and he'd be on top of us.**

**My mother must've been exhausted, but she shouldered Grover. "Go, Percy! Separate! Remember what I said."**

**I didn't want to spilt up, but I had the feeling she was right-it was our only chance. I sprinted to the left, turned, and saw the creature bearing down on me. His black eyes glowed with hate. He reeked like rotten meat.**

**He lowered his head and charged, those razor-sharp horns aimed straight at my chest.**

Lily gripped James hand so hard it started to turn purple, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He was worried too.

**The fear in my stomach made me want to bolt, but that wouldn't work. I could never outrun this thing. So I held my ground, and at the last moment, I jumped to the side.**

**The bull-man stormed past like a freight train,**

Everyone let out a small breath of relief, but the danger wasn't over yet.

**Then bellowed with frustration and turned, but not toward me this time, toward my mother,**

There were gasps from the teens.

**Who was setting Grover down in the grass.**

**We'd reached the crest of the hill. Down the other side I could see a valley, just as my mother had said, and the lights of a farmhouse glowing yellow through the rain. But that was half a mile away.**

**We'd never make it.**

**The bull-man grunted, pawing the ground. He kept eyeing my mother, who was now retreating slowly downhill, back toward the road, trying to lead the monster away from Grover.**

**"Run, Percy!" she told me. "I can't go any farther. Run!"**

"Listen to her, Percy," Lily pleaded. "Go get help."

**But I just stood there, frozen in fear, as the monster charged her. She tried to sidestep, as she'd told me to do, but the monster had learned his lesson. His hand shot out and grabbed her by the neck as she tried to get away. He lifter her as she struggled, kicking and pummeling the air.**

**"Mom!"**

**She caught my eyes, managed to coke out one last word: "Go!"**

**Then, with an angry roar, the monster closed his fists around my mother's neck, and she dissolved before my eyes, melting into light, a shimmering golden form, as if she were a holographic projection.**

**A blinding flash, and she was simply…gone.**

Lily choked out a sob and the boys just sat there stunned. Slowly, James put his arms around the sobbing redhead, trying to comfort her. The others didn't know what to do, or say. A boy had just watched his mother die. There was nothing they could say. It took a while for everyone to collect themselves and the reading continued, much more subdued.

**"No!"**

**Anger replaced my fear. Newfound strength burned in my limbs-the same rush I'd gotten when Mrs. Dodds grew talons.**

**The bull-man bore down on Grover, who lay helpless in the grass. The monster hunched over, snuffling my best friends, as if he were about to lift Grover up and make him dissolve too.**

**I couldn't allow that.**

**I stripped off my red rain jacket.**

**"Hey!" I screamed, waving the jacket, running to one side of the monster. "Hey stupid! Ground beef!"**

**"Raaaarrrr!" the monster turned toward me, shaking his meaty fists.**

**I had an idea-a stupid idea, but better than no idea at all. I put my back to the big pine tree and waved my red jacket in front of the bull-man, thinking I'd jump out of the way at the last moment.**

"Oh, please, don't do it. You'll just get hurt," Lily said, more tears threatened to spill from her green eyes.

**But it didn't happen like that.**

Everyone tensed up.

**The bull-man charged too fast, his arms out to grab me whichever way I tried to dodge.**

Lily shook her head and buried her face into James chest, who held her while looking at the book with horror.

Time slowed down.

**My legs tensed. I couldn't jump sideways, so I leaped straight up, kicking off from the creature's head, using it as a spring board, turning in midair, and landing on his neck.**

The teens sat stunned that he could do that, evading the monster once again. But he was far from being safe.

**How did I do that? I didn't have time to figure it out. A millisecond later, the monster's head slammed into the tree and the impact nearly knocked my teeth out.**

Everyone winced at that.

**The bull-man staggered around, trying to shake me. I locked my arms around his horns to keep from being thrown. Thunder and lightning were still going strong. The rain was in my eyes. The smell of rotten meat burned my nostrils.**

**The monster shook himself around and buck like a rodeo bull. He should have just backed into the tree and smashed me flat, but I was starting to realize that this thing only had one gear: forward.**

**Meanwhile, Grover started groaning in the grass. I wanted to yell at him to shut up, but the way I was getting tossed around, if I opened my mouth I'd bite my own tongue off.**

**"Food!" Grover moaned.**

**The bull-man wheeled toward him, pawed the ground again, and got ready to charge.**

"Oh, no," Lily whimpered.

**I thought about how he had squeezed the life out of my mother, made her disappear in a flash of light, and rage filled me like high-octane fuel. I got both hands around one horn and I pulled backward with all my might. The monster tensed, gave a surprised grunt, then-snap!**

**The bull-man screamed and flung me through the air. I landed flat on my back in the grass. My head smacked against a rock.**

Again, everyone winced.

**When I sat up, my vision was blurry, but I had a horn in my hands, a ragged bone weapon the size of a knife.**

"No way," Sirius muttered.

The monster charged.

**Without thinking, I rolled to one side and came up kneeling. As the monster barreled past, I drove the broken horn straight into his side, right up under his furry rib cage.**

They all shared shocked looks. Had he really done that? Was the monster defeated?

**The bull-man roared in agony. He flailed, clawing at his chest, then began to disintegrate-not like my mother, in a flash of golden light, but crumbling sand, blown away in chunks by the wind, the same way Mrs. Dodds had burst apart.**

**The monster was gone.**

Everyone breathed in relief.

**The rain had stopped. The storm still rumbled, but only in the distance. I smelled like livestock and my knees were shaking. My head felt like it was splitting open. I was weak and scared and trembling I'd just seen my mother vanish. I wanted to lie down and cry, but there was Grover, needing my help, so I managed to haul him up and stagger down into the valley, toward the lights of the farmhouse. I was crying, calling for my mother, but I held on to Grover-I wasn't going to let him go.**

**The last thing I remember is collapsing on a wooden porch, looking up at a ceiling fan circling above me, moths flying around a yellow light, and the stern faces of a familiar-looking bearded man and _a cute boy, blonde hair curly and scars on his face_. They both looked down at me, and the _boy_ said," He's the one. He must be."**

**"Silance, _Andrew_," the man said. "He's still conscious. Bring him inside."**

Regulus closed the book, letting out a breath. "That's the end of that chapter."

They all sat in silence, trying to wrap their heads around what they just read. Sirius got up and started to pace.

"Siri, are you alright?" Regulus asked his older brother.

"No, I am not alright!" Sirius snarled. "What the bloody hell did we just read? A kid just got attacked by monster and lost his mother. We're stuck in a room with no exit. And my best friend is still missing. We need to get out of here." He stormed over to the wall where the door had vanished and started pounding on the wall again.

James jumped up to calm him down. "Padfoot, you're going to hurt yourself."

"I DON'T CARE!" he roared as he started kicking at the wall too.

"Sirius, please, stop." Regulus said, trying to help James restrain his brother.

"Get off!" Sirius shook the two off and pulled out his wand, sending a powerful blasting hex at the wall. Debris rained from the ceiling and smoke filled the room, but there was barely a crack in the wall to show for it. "I hate this room!" Sirius growled at nothing as he examined the wall where the door still refused to reappear. "How the bloody hell do we get out of here?" he sent another blasting hex at the wall but nothing came of it.

"Sirius, please, calm down. Take a deep breath and let's rethink the blasting bit." Lily said evenly and Sirius lowered his wand slightly. "Okay, so let's work backwards. What were we doing when the door first appeared?"

"Well, Sirius was upset about Moony not being here, so he stormed out of the common room in a fit of anger. Then we managed to catch up to him in the hallway. We were talking and then Regulus and Snape showed up and told us that Moony wasn't a Lupin. There was a bit of arguing and then the door appeared," Peter recounted. Nobody said anything for a few minutes as they processed the information.

"That doesn't really help much," James said, breaking the silence.

"Well there has to be a way out," Regulus pointed out. "Why would someone create a room that you can get into but not out of?" Sirius turned pale when his brother asked that.

"If I end up being stuck in here with theses idiotic Gryffindors forever, I'm counting on you, Regulus, to put me out of my misery," Severus said to the younger Slytherin.

"When did anybody say that we were going to be stuck in here forever?" Lily asked, rhetorically.

"Well none of us know how to get out of here. The possibility that someone will find us is very slim. We're obviously going to be stuck in here for a while."

"Look on the bright side, Snape," James said.

"What bright side?"

"I was trying to be positive," Potter replied with a frown. "No need to ruin it with your pessimism."

"Still not solving anything," Lily stated, giving the two boys a stern look. "We are among the brightest of our year. We should be able to figure this out."

"Sirius, are you alright?" Peter spoke up. The Black heir was staring blankly at the wall in front of him.

"Pads?" James gently shook his friend's shoulder to get his attention but got no response. "Padfoot." He tried again but got the same result. "Sirius," Prongs was starting to sound panicked. "Sirius, please." Slowly, Sirius looked at his friend.

"She locked me up, Jim," Sirius whispered.

"What?"

"She locked me up."

"Siri?" Regulus went over to stand by his brother.

"Whenever I did something she didn't approve of or if I messed something up…there's a hidden room behind one of the portraits. She'd throw me in there a-and l-leave me for days at a time. No f-food or w-water…no way out-t,," Sirius said, his ragged breathing making him stutter.

"Sirius…" Regulus said with increasing worry.

"T-there were sp-spells to k-keep-p sound from get-ting out-t. As I got-t older, s-she started hurt-ting me. W-when-n I did something really bad…she t-told-d K-kreacher-r to…to…she t-told him t-to n-not-t to l-lea-ve a m-mark-k." by this point Sirius was practically sobbing. "I-I c-can't-t st-tand-d being-g locked up-p," he collapsed, sobbing, to the floor.

His brother knelt down next to him and held his hand. No one spoke. Too shocked to think of anything to say. To think that a mother could do that to her own child was a horrible thought.

After a few minutes there was a soft grinding and they were both surprise and relief to see a door. James ran over and opened it.

"Ha, ha. We are out of here," Potter said somewhat happily and rushed over to his distraught friend. "Come on, Pads. The door is back. Let's get you out of here while we can." He and Regulus managed to get Sirius to his feet and through the door that Peter was holding open for them. Lily and Severus followed after them carrying the books from the room. "Really? You're bringing the books?" James asked them when he noticed the books.

"Yes. I want to finish reading them and I do not want to get stuck in that room again," Lily answered him. "Besides, there's something that seemed really familiar about that Andrew bloke." The boys rolled their eyes at her. "What are we going to do about Sirius? I've never seen him like this. It's a little…terrifying."

"I don't know what to do," Regulus said softly as he and James dragged Sirius towards the Gryffindor common room. "I didn't want to believe mother could ever do something so awful."

Sirius showed no sign that he heard them. He just stared sightlessly ahead. His breathing was ragged and there were still tears running down his cheeks. Over all, they were very worried for their friend and brother as they have never seen him so emotionally checked out.

They walked in silence after that. Eventually they made it to the portrait of the Fat Lady that guarded the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. The group quickly entered and made their way up to the 7th year boy's dorm. James and Regulus tucked Sirius into his bed.

"Take care of him, Potter," The younger boy said before turning to leave. When he reached the door James called him back in.

"Regulus," James started but paused for a moment. "Would you like to stay here for now? You could use Moony's bunk. Plus, Sirius needs his real brother, too." Regulus nodded after a beat and James sent him a small smile before tossing some night clothes at him. "Welcome to the lion's den, snake." He told the younger boy with a smile. "I'll go see what the others are doing while you get changed." Then he left he left the young boy alone, save for Sirius.

Regulus quickly got changed into the slightly too big night clothes and neatly folded up his uniform and placed it on the bed that didn't have a trunk at the foot of it. Soft moonlight trickled in through the window and caressed his brother's features, glinting off the remaining tears that gently ran from the sleeping boy's eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Sirius," Regulus whispered.

There was a small knock on the door before it opened to reveal James and Peter. Both of them looked worried and worn out from the night's events. Peter nodded at the Slytherin as he made his way over to his bed.

"You should get some sleep, Regulus. We won't be much good for Sirius in the morning if we're sleep deprived," Potter said and the younger boy nodded before climbing into the empty bed in the dorm. There was silence for a while inside the dorm, only interrupted by the snores coming from Petigrew.

"Potter?" Regulus asked quietly, almost hoping that the other boy was asleep.

"Yes," came the soft reply.

"Does Sirius fancy your werewolf friend?" silence once more filled the room.

"Sometimes it's hard to tell with your brother, but I think he does."

"If the wolf doesn't recover from losing his magic, and he…well, what are we to do with Sirius if he can't have…I don't want him being hurt more than he already is," Regulus said, feeling bad for his brother.

"I don't know. I don't even know if Moony fancies blokes," James told him, a note of uncertainty in his voice. Silence descended once more.

"I'll write to father in the morning about mother. She should have to pay for what she did to Sirius." Silence reigned once more as the two boys finally succumbed to sleep.


End file.
